Lundbeck signs agreement for stroke treatment

Lundbeck has signed a deal for stroke treatment, according to an announcement from its partner company Paion today.

The agreement will see a second phase III study conducted on the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke, subject to regulatory consultation and approval.

Scheduled to start in the final quarter of the year, the deal involves Lundbeck funding part of the development and production costs of Desmoteplase – a clot dissolving protein found in the saliva of vampire bats. Paion states the aim of the trial is to increase information available on Desmoteplase to ‘enhance the data package for the compound’.

Dr Mariola Sohngen, a spokesperson for Paion, commented: “We are encouraged that we will start a second phase III study by year-end with the support of our partners. The study aims to contribute to the overall safety database and efficacy profile of Desmoteplase”.

Desmoteplase has successfully tested for two independent phase II studies already for the treatment of ischaemic stroke occurring between three and nine hours after the first onset of symptoms. Paion reports that it has received fast-track designation from the FDA and is currently being tested in an international ‘multi-centered phase II study DIAS-2’.

Paion is a German biopharmaceutical company that specialises in the development and commercialisation of innovative drugs for stroke treatment. It currently focuses on the development of three drugs – desmoteplase, enecadin and Solulin.

Stroke has been classified as the third leading cause of death in the developed world, leading to 700,000 attacks per year in America alone. Paion suggests around 20 per cent of stroke victims die within four weeks of contraction.

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